The 2016 Girls Write Now Anthology, '(R)evolution,' Is Now Available

If you know someone who thinks girls — especially girls on the margins of society — have nothing important to say, hand them a copy of the 2016 Girls Write Now anthology, (R)evolution. The book features stories and poems about change and personal development from this year's Girls Write Now mentees, with a foreword from My New American Life author Francince Prose and an introduction from Pulitzer-winning playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes.

Girls Write Now is a nonprofit organization and mentoring program that pairs teen girls with professional writers who help them find and develop their voices. The organization combats the pervasive sexist-ageist narrative that demeans and dismisses girls' accomplishments, ideas, and goals because of their gender and youth. Many of Girls Write Now's mentees face racial and class-based discrimination as well.

Angela Flournoy, author of the National Book Award nominee The Turner House, thinks (R)evolution is a great introduction to up-and-coming women writers. She says:

A girl who learns to speak up for herself will grow into a woman with the capability to do great things in the world. Read Girls Write Now's anthology (R)evolution, and get to know the next generation of necessary voices: they are young, they are talented, and they are brave.

She's not wrong. Many of the stories in the 2016 Girls Write Now anthology focus on survival. In "Keeping Faith," Zahraa Lopez writes about her single mother's quest to complete her education. Rachel Aghanwa's poem, "A Big Brother, A Big Mouth," expresses her daily fears that her brother might be killed by police violence. Mariam Kamate revisits her journey through bullying to become the inspired young writer she is today, in "A Time to Heal."